Shloka 50
राजवृत्त-रक्षा-प्रणिधि-षाड्गुण्योपदेशः
Royal Conduct, Protection, Intelligence, and Policy Measures
कुर्यात् कृष्णगति: शेषं ज्वलितोडनिलसारथि: । न तु राजाभिपन्नस्य शेषं क्वचन विद्यते
kuryāt kṛṣṇagatiḥ śeṣaṃ jvalito 'nilasārathiḥ | na tu rājābhipannasya śeṣaṃ kvacana vidyate ||
वसुमना ने कहा—वायु के वेग से प्रेरित प्रज्वलित अग्नि जलाकर भी कहीं कुछ अंश शेष छोड़ सकती है; पर जो राजा के अधिकार में आ पड़ता है, उसके लिए कहीं भी कुछ शेष नहीं रहता—न अवशेष, न आश्रय।
वसुमना उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that royal power, when it seizes a person, can be more inescapable than even a natural calamity: fire may leave remnants, but a person crushed by the king’s authority may find no refuge. Ethically, it underscores the need for kings to wield power with restraint and justice, since their reach can annihilate a subject’s security.
In the Shanti Parva’s discussions on governance and conduct, Vasumanā uses a vivid metaphor—fire driven by wind—to illustrate the overwhelming and often unavoidable consequences of falling under a king’s adverse attention, emphasizing the gravity of royal decisions within teachings on राजधर्म (the duties and limits of kings).